Lamp shades are an integral part of modern home decoration, having sprung up in the late 18th century and undergoing several revolutions since. In recent times, the antique business has seen explosive growth due largely to the rise of sites like eBay.com, oldandsold.com and iGavel.com. These sites allow anyone to set up shop for buyers to view wares, bid and purchase from the comfort of their home. Together, these facts suggest that purchasing antique lamp shades can be a sound investment for not only one’s home but also one’s finances.
Buying furniture is often a losing proposition because it’s a large purchase that devalues quickly. On the other hand, a piece of antique furniture might even increase in value over time depending on the market conditions for that antique. The key is to invest in the right kind of antique. A proven class is the antique glass lamp shades which are a perennial favorite for collectors and enthusiasts. Knowing the types of glass lamp shades better will help an investor pick the right choice for both the sake of decoration as well as investment.
Victorian lamp shades have been popular since the early 1800s when gas lights were invented. The invention occurred in several European countries (Germany, France and England) simultaneously, and presaged the rise of both municipal and industrial lighting with gas power. The style of the Victorian shade was actually quite varied. One notable example is the classical gas shade, which is composed of a globular lower section that holds the gas flame, and a hole on the top for releasing heat.
When gas-fired flames were used as a light source, the chimney style lamp shade was quite popular. An offshoot of this were the hurricane shades. Both exhibited tall clear glass that enclosed the flame to protect it from the window and funnel fresh air in to keep the combustion smooth.
Victorian shades also came in other shapes such as the hurricane shade or the dome shade. The exterior surface of the glass lamp shades were invariably decorated with ornate and intricate designs, oftentimes acid etched to produce a frosty appearance. The one constant is that the gas shades had a top opening for dissipating the gas and heat. Nowadays of course, the shade would be used with electrical bulbs making the hole merely decorative.
The Tiffany-style stained glass shades were a big hit in the early 1900s. Louis Comfort Tiffany was said to be inspired by the technology of stained glass windows, found in churches and composed of colored glass and iron rods that depicted scenes from nature such as animals and trees. Tiffany created many glass lamp shades that showed such natural scenes.
While Tiffany created a large number of his glass lamp shades that bear his name today, there’s also no end of a shortage of imitation products which are often denoted by the description “Tiffany-style”. Connosieurs may wish to pick up an authentic Tiffany, but will find them in extreme short supply. Some of them are even displayed in museums.
Glass lamp shades are good pieces for attracting attention and for being a topic of conversation. Many will find that the decor of a room can be centered around it. However, finding an antique shade can be quite expensive. The key element to keep in mind is that the antique retains value over time. The antique market does operate on cycles, but the history of antique shades has taught us that they have tremendous enduring value as long as we continue to illuminate our homes with such technology.
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